


Home

by taedreamer



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Love Triangles, Multi, Orphanage, Sad Backstory, Sex for Favors, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, Underage Smoking, Unrequited Love, Violence, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2020-12-28 02:20:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21129164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taedreamer/pseuds/taedreamer
Summary: "There's a new one coming in today, boys."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off of a similar fic i was reading on here when it suddenly went on hiatus and then disappeared. tbh the only similarity is seventeen and orphanage au, but it inspired me
> 
> i haven't written in a long time but i hope you like it, lots of updates to come!!

"There's a new one coming in today, boys. Jihee said to play nice."

Jeonghan casually walked into the room, passed Seungcheol and Junhui, choosing to sit on Jisoo's bed rather than his own. The younger was reading something he couldn't understand, an English novel Seungkwan probably stole for him from the library downtown. Jisoo looked up when the older gently grasped his ankle, smiling lightly before turning his eyes back towards the book in his lap.  
  
"I don't really see why I should give a damn what Jihee says. If this one is anything like that Doyeon kid, he's going to get his ass beat," Jihoon countered with a bored eye roll. His bed was two bunks over and from there Jihoon could see Seungcheol and Junhui trying to hide their laughter at his comment. Jeonghan, however, did little to hide his amusement and let out an airy laugh.  
  
"I know. And in your defense, Doyeon was a fucking prick. But try giving this one a chance, yeah? Remember how much of a brat Channie was at first?" Jeonghan recalled the maknae with an annoyed little huff, only to find that their youngest wasn't even in the room.  
  
"He's still a brat. He's just learned his place. More or less. Plus he's scrawny as fuck and Mingyu would've probably sent him to the hospital if he got too mouthy." Jihoon once again quipped with an exasperated tone. The new kid hadn't even gotten there yet and he was already tired of him. Seungcheol pushed himself up and off the wall, leaving Junhui to watch on with his usual smirk.  
  
"Jihoon, I don't think you should be talking, seeing as nobody's scrawnier than you," Seungcheol snickered lightheartedly, dodging the pillow that was thrown at him but unsuccessfully evading the alarm clock that followed it. The oldest winced when he picked himself back up, smiling at Jihoon even though there was a fair amount of blood leaking from his nose and over his lips.  
  
"Can we not go twenty minutes without bloodshed in this place?" Seokmin grumbled tiredly as he entered the room, having seen the entire exchange from the doorway. Jihoon snorted but didn't say anything because he was pretty sure he had made his point. Jisoo sighed a bit over-dramatically, closing his book with a bit of flare and leaving his warm spot next to Jeonghan in favor of retrieving the medical kit from beneath Wonwoo and Soonyoung's bunk. Jeonghan just giggled again, lying back on Jisoo's pillow.   
  
"Of course we can't. But this was just fun and games. At least it wasn't Mingyu. Or Donghyun," Junhui pointed out as an afterthought. Seokmin sighed but nodded in understanding. Junhui was right, things could have been worse.  
  
The oldest was still smug, making little jabs at Jihoon even though the younger had tuned him out completely. This continued even when Jisoo dragged the boy to a bed and began wiping the excessive amount of blood off of his lips and chin. Jisoo smiled the entire time, the corners of his lips dimpling, despite the small bloodstains forming on his already filthy jeans. The denim was thin and fraying around large holes, revealing tanned skin and a few scrapes from who knows what. Everyone had them, so nobody bothered to notice anymore.   
  
"Where were you, Seokmin? And where are the others?" Jeonghan questioned when Jisoo returned to his spot on the bed and Seungcheol was mostly through with his teasing at Jihoon. Jisoo pushed the boy of off his pillow and Jeonghan let out a startled squeal, almost face planting onto the dirty wooden floor. Luckily the older caught himself on the rickety side table, knocking Hansol's collection of pirated CDs down instead. At first glance they all seemed to be fine so Jeonghan carefully situated himself again and glanced up at Seokmin, who looked less than impressed. The said boy had made himself comfortable on his bunk, the lower part of the one he shared with Hansol. There was an unopened magazine in his lap and the pages seemed to still be intact. There was no telling where he had gotten it, but odds were he didn't pay for it.  
  
Seokmin looked between Jeonghan and Jisoo with a bored expression. He shifted his eyes down onto the magazine and opened it before speaking. “I went to see Junhui’s girlfriend. She got me the magazine.”

Junhui looked up from where he was sitting and talking with Seungcheol, glaring after realizing why Seokmin had said his name.

“She’s not my girlfriend! And can you blame me for liking her? She’s fucking hot!” Seokmin snorted at Junhui’s outburst, but ignored him in favor of answering the rest of Jeonghan’s questions.

“Chan and Hansol got caught stealing shit from the kitchen again. I heard Donghyun yelling at them. They're probably getting a beating. Seungkwan went down to the corner store but that was fucking forever ago so who knows. Mingyu, Soonyoung, and Wonwoo were in the alley.”

“That can’t be good.” Jihoon huffed and rolled onto his side, looking down at Seokmin from atop his bunk. “Did you hear what it was about this time?”

Seokmin doesn’t look up at Jihoon, just slowly shakes his head back and forth, eyes locked on something in his magazine.

“It’s Mingyu and Soonyoung? What do you think it’s about?” Seungcheol laughed as he said it, but it was hard to understand him through the tissue being held against his nose.

“You mean who.” Junhui sighed. The fight was tired; even he didn’t find it funny anymore.  
  
Jisoo let out a huff from behind his book sounding something like, "Those two will be the death of us all." Jeonghan giggled once more before closing his eyes and sighing. He slowly yawned before stretching his limbs off of the bed.

At the questioning glances he received from around the room he replied, "Someone has to stop them from killing each other, and since Jisoo so kindly dealt with this one," he gestured towards Seungcheol and the bloody tissue in his hand, "I figured it was my turn." Jisoo laughed but didn't argue, sending Jeonghan away with a doubtful good luck. Seokmin hummed in agreement without looking away from the spread in front of him. Junhui rolled his eyes but smiled when Jeonghan walked passed him and Seungcheol. The oldest grabbed Jeonghan's hand, causing the seventeen year old to stop and face him. It was hard to take the boy seriously when he said, "Are you sure? I can deal with it if you want," but Jeonghan managed, letting a smile grace his lips and trying to pretend he didn't see Jisoo staring at them.  
  
"Yes, I'm pretty sure I can handle Mingyu and Soonyoung. Besides, an alarm clock just beat you up. You should be more worried about that." Jihoon laughed but it was muffled from the pillow he was occupying. Seungcheol feigned hurt and Jeonghan found himself smiling wider, his eyes screwing up in a fond way. Suddenly, he remembered the boy watching the exchange from across the room and he felt guilty. He hadn't done anything wrong and yet Jeonghan felt unexplainably and unrelentingly guilty.  
  
The younger realized that Seungcheol was still grasping his wrist loosely and pulled away. The older boy didn't seem to acknowledge the shift, still pouting and letting out little remarks about how short and annoying Jihoon was. Jeonghan took the moment to turn and walk right out the door, Jisoo and Seungcheol both be damned.


	2. Chapter 2

Jeonghan had made it downstairs and through the sitting room, managing not to run into anyone. Jihee had probably left for the market already, seeing as it was nearing midday. She was an older lady with long, thin black hair that crashed around her shoulders like a waterfall. Her heart was still kind but her body was frail like a leaf, seeing as she was already nearing her seventies, and it was to nobody’s surprise that her son had come to live with her and take care of the orphanage many years ago. He was less kind, less caring, doing whatever he wanted and getting away with it because Jihee pretended she didn’t see anything. The drugs, the beatings. She couldn’t do anything to stop it so they all tried not to blame her.  
  
There was no telling where Donghyun was at the moment but if what Seokmin had said was true about the two youngest, he was busy. Jeonghan tried not to be too loud as he found himself slipping out the backdoor and into the alley behind the building.

He heard what was happening before he saw it. He heard Mingyu laughing and snarling, heard Soonyoung panting and groaning every time a punch was thrown, and Wonwoo crying and choking over the words he was yelling at Mingyu. Jeonghan sighed and walked around the corner of the building, tension setting in his shoulders like concrete.  
  
Mingyu had Soonyoung pinned up against a filthy brick wall, his forearm fitted tightly against the younger’s throat. Soonyoung looked cocky and daring even as he struggled to breathe, but when Mingyu pulled his fist back and slammed it into the other's ribs, the confidence began to slowly chip away. Wonwoo gripping onto Mingyu’s arm and begging him to let go. His cheek was a bright red and streaked with tears, leaving a lot to Jeonghan's imagination as he approached.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing?" Mingyu looked over without releasing the pressure on Soonyoung's neck. He smiled menacingly, canines peeking out and eyes lighting up as if they weren’t in their current situation. Sometimes Jeonghan forgot that the boy in front of him was only sixteen; sometimes he forgot that he was only seventeen himself.

Mingyu raised his eyebrows expectantly and let his smile widen into a smug grin. Jeonghan couldn’t help but want to hit him in that moment. Instead, he took in an exhausted breath and resumed speaking. "Mingyu, let him down. Seriously you two, this is like the third time this week. And Wonwoo, what the fuck happened to you?"  
  
Mingyu still didn't put the other down, instead throwing another punch, this one to Soonyoung's cheek. The latter cried out and gasped from the lack of oxygen, clawing at Mingyu’s bloody fingers. Wonwoo began letting out fresh tears of frustration.  
  
“Just drop him already!” Wonwoo was using all of his strength to move the taller boy, trying to give Soonyoung room to breathe. When his pushing became annoying, Mingyu took his free hand and pushed Wonwoo hard so his back hit the wall. The younger boy cried out, holding his head and trying not to hyperventilate. After a few more seconds of Soonyoung’s choked sounds and Mingyu’s quiet anger, Wonwoo looked up at Jeonghan.

“They were fighting about a fucking lighter! I told Soonyoung to apologize and he slapped me. Then Mingyu lost it!" A few more overwhelmed tears escaped his eyes before he turned back to Soonyoung, who by now was turning a compromising shade of red. Jeonghan just looked on and shook his head, the tension in his body coiling up like a gun ready to fire.  
  
"You're all fucking stupid. Kill him, see if I care." At that Wonwoo choked out a sob and Mingyu turned to face Jeonghan once again. He was still smiling as he finally dropped his arm from Soonyoung’s throat, slowly making his way towards the oldest of the four. Jeonghan watched him approach with a tired and unimpressed expression, vaguely registering Soonyoung coughing and sputtering in the background.  
  
"What, Mingyu? Are you going to hit me? Just fuck off already. Seungcheol will murder your ass and you know it." By now Mingyu was about a foot away from the older boy and towering over him. He was ridiculously tall to only be sixteen but Jeonghan still couldn't be bothered to do more than laugh.  
  
"Maybe Seungcheol should keep his bitch on a leash. Then we wouldn't have to worry about that." Mingyu brought his arm up and backhanded Jeonghan with enough force to send his entire body into the filthy wall. The brick skinned his cheek and there was going to be a bruise around his eye but Jeonghan just groaned and straightened himself out. His tousled hair fanned out over his face and stuck to the sweat on his temples.

“I shouldn’t even be fucking with Wonwoo. We all know you’re down for a good time, aren’t you Jeonghan? As long as the price is right.” The words were whispered close to the older boy’s ear, punctuated by cruel laughter. The sixteen year old was still crowding him against the wall, smiling even wider and begging for more trouble, but Jeonghan just shoved past him.

Soonyoung was up and rubbing his throat tiredly as he made his way towards the building, ignoring Wonwoo who was following with apologies and inquiries on if the older boy was alright. Jeonghan couldn't help but pity Wonwoo, but Soonyoung would come around. He always did when it came to Wonwoo.  
  
Jeonghan marched after them, albeit at a distance, leaving Mingyu to snicker to himself in the quietness of the alley. The younger would probably leave to go steal himself another lighter soon, anyways.  
  
Wonwoo had left the door open in his hurry to catch up with Soonyoung so Jeonghan hurried inside and shut it as silently as possible. He hoped that the two fifteen year olds hadn’t been loud enough to draw Donghyun’s attention when they barged into the building. The scrape on his cheekbone was already throbbing and Jeonghan decided that he really didn’t want to get hit again for a while if at all possible.  
  
After peeking around the corner and seeing the small sitting room was still empty, the boy rushed to and up the staircase that adorned the farthest wall. Jeonghan avoided stomping too loudly on the steps, remembering the last time that Hansol had gone barging up them. He wasn’t very fond of the busted lip the thirteen year old had carried around the following week.  
  
Once he cleared the stairs, Jeonghan made his way to the room that all twelve boys shared and let himself in. He was surprised to see that Seungkwan had returned with a backpack full of sweets from the corner store two blocks over and that Soonyoung was nowhere to be found. Wonwoo was sulking on his bunk, red eyes tracking Jisoo’s every move while the older boy lightly traced the mark on his cheek. Jeonghan just rolled his eyes again and all of the pity that he had held for the younger boy moments ago vanished. “Where the fuck did Soonyoung go now?”  
  
Wonwoo’s eyes shot up insanely fast and for a second Jeonghan worried that he would get dizzy and fall from the bed he had perched himself on. Instead of falling though, Wonwoo gripped the sheet and set his lips into a firm line. When Jisoo went to wipe at his cheek again, this time with gauze, the younger boy swatted him away. Jisoo just sighed, packed everything up, and sat staring at his hands for a moment before glancing up at Jeonghan. The sixteen year old gasped, going to stand up when Seungcheol cut him off altogether.  
  
"Who hit you?"

Jeonghan, oblivious to the multiple pairs of eyes trained on him, finally glanced away from Wonwoo, who still hadn’t answered him in favor of glaring at his lap. The scrape on Jeonghan's cheek was bleeding a bit more now but it wasn't severe, and as Seungcheol opened his mouth to ask again Jeonghan let out an enormous sigh.  
  
“Doesn’t matter, Cheol. I’m fine,” The younger boy grumbled halfheartedly before making his way across the room. At first, Jeonghan considered walking the few extra feet to his own bunk, but Jisoo’s looked warm with the early afternoon sun draped over it. Jeonghan was still mad that Jisoo and Junhui got the bunk by the only window in the room, but seeing as he slept with the younger boy most nights anyways, he learned to deal with it. The bed creaked under Jeonghan’s weight as he dropped himself onto the wrinkled sheet. After quickly glancing toward the clock on the wall above Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s shared bed, the boy couldn’t help but huff out a soft and tired laugh. It was barely noon.  
  
Seungcheol scoffed at the younger’s response but slowly walked over to Jisoo's bed anyways, choosing to drop to his knees beside it rather than try to move Jeonghan and make space for himself. The younger turned his head to face Seungcheol, smiling with half of his face hidden in Jisoo’s pillow. There would probably be blood all over it, but nobody ever cared about that anymore. Seungcheol didn’t smile, but he ran his fingers through a few strands of Jeonghan’s fading brown hair. Jisoo watched with an unreadable expression from his spot next to Wonwoo.  
  
"Hannie, seriously, who was it?"

Jeonghan just brushed off Seungcheol's persistence with a shrug, pulling his hand away and turning so that his face was completely submerged in the pillow. There would definitely be blood all over it. Seungcheol sighed in irritation but the younger didn't seem to mind very much, just letting out a quiet, muffled laugh into the stained pillowcase. After a moment, Jeonghan lifted his head and glanced at the older boy only to sigh. “Everyone gets hit, Cheol. It’s really not a big deal.”  
  
Seungcheol just let out a puff of air he hadn’t even realized he was holding and closed his eyes for a second. He then went to stand up and return to his own bunk, but before he could take a step Wonwoo was speaking up from across the room. "It was Mingyu. He slapped him pretty good and-”  
  
"Wonwoo, I already said it isn’t a big deal. Just fucking drop it." Wonwoo flinched at the interruption, seeing as Jeonghan wasn't really one to snap like that. He was usually soft spoken and partial to the younger kids, giving them sweets if he managed to get his hands on any or letting them shower before him if they were having a rough day. Nonetheless, Wonwoo found himself talking once again.  
  
“Mingyu was saying a bunch of shit to him, getting all up in his space.” Jeonghan looked annoyed but he didn't say anything else to Wonwoo, instead choosing to fix Seungcheol with another bored look. The oldest looked tired and like he probably could have guessed it was Mingyu, the dried blood under his nose not even standing out. Jeonghan just let out an agitated breath and looked at Jisoo instead. "Are you done with that one? I could use some help. Can't be looking like shit when the new kid gets here. Plus I’ve already gotten enough blood on your pillow.”  
  
Jisoo ignored the quip about his pillow and smiled elegantly, but it didn't reach his eyes. He nodded nonetheless and spared a glance at Seungcheol, who was just standing next to Jeonghan and looking less than impressed with the entire situation. "Don't stress too much about Mingyu, Seungcheol. He's an asshole but Jeonghan could have fought back if he cared to. You know that." Seungcheol let his eyes wonder to Jisoo's and gave him a sharp glare before he was on his way out of the room and down the stairs. Jeonghan just closed his eyes and silently hoped that Donghyun didn’t hear.  
  
Jisoo looked defeated but stood up on flimsy legs to move back over to Jeonghan. The rest of the boys began carrying on their own conversations, now that the drama in the room had burnt itself out like oxygen.  
  
Jeonghan flipped himself over none too gracefully and sat up to make room for the actual owner of the bed. When Jisoo was seated, he gently ran a finger under the few nicks on the elder’s face. He didn't wince and the younger took it as a good sign, decidedly opening a cleaning gauze and beginning to wipe away the blood that was drying in streaks down his cheek. Jeonghan smiled softly the entire time, his eyes glinting with the sun as it moved across the sky and never once leaving Jisoo's. It was a bit distracting.

“What did Mingyu say, Jeonghan?” The older had been expecting the whispered question from Jisoo. Rather than answering, he just shook his head softly, closed his eyes, and kept the serene smile plastered on his face. They were just words, words that never needed to be spoken aloud.


	3. Chapter 3

In only a few minutes, a clean bandage covered his cheek and Jisoo was putting the remaining supplies away. Jeonghan spared another weighted glance at Wonwoo. The younger hadn't moved much in the time it had taken to clean his cheek and Jeonghan couldn't help but implore, "You never answered me. Where’s Soonyoung?"  
  
Wonwoo looked up at him with eyes like an earthquake and a startled fold in his shoulders, as if he wasn’t expecting the question again. The rest of the room was watching once more and Jisoo looked like he wanted to tell Jeonghan to drop it. But when Wonwoo just shrugged and looked back down at his lap, absolutely not caring about whatever else Jeonghan had to say, the older boy got up off of the bed and scoffed. He did let it go, however, instead making his way toward Seungkwan and Seokmin who were busy tearing through the snacks; snacks that the younger had no doubt stolen.

Jeonghan parked himself haphazardly next to Seungkwan and began scavenging through the backpack, only to find a few things left unopened. He glanced up at the two who were staring back innocently, crumbs sticking to the corners of their lips, and let out a groan.

”Seriously? They don't feed us shit in here and you eat it all without even offering to share? I'm heartbroken." Jeonghan feigned hurt and quickly grabbed the only two bags of rice balls, tossing one to Jisoo and opening the other for himself. Jisoo barely caught his, the sudden movement causing him to drop his book and lose his spot. He looked up and glared playfully at the slightly older boy, trying not to laugh when he shouted at him. "What the fuck, Jeonghan?"  
  
"You can thank me in cash or in kisses, Soo, I don't care either way." The older boy sent Jisoo a wink but there was an obvious joke laced in the words. The younger's cheeks tinted slightly but he kept his composure, smiling even wider. Jisoo popped opened his bag and threw one of the rice balls at Jeonghan, hitting him on the nose. “First, I’m broke and, second, you're stupid if you think I'd ever kiss you!”  
  
The jokes carried on a little longer, everyone getting involved for the most part. They made fun of everything from Jeonghan’s ridiculously long hair to Junhui’s unfaltering crush on the counter girl who worked in the corner store four blocks over. Seokmin and Seungkwan took turns throwing wrappers at each other, going as far as running around the room to avoid being hit. Wonwoo stood up and left about halfway through their bickering and nobody spared him so much as a glance. The boy got like that sometimes, especially when Soonyoung was involved. It would pass.  
  
About an hour later Seungcheol came back, making no effort to tell anyone where he was or what he was doing. But seeing as Seungcheol was much calmer and gave Jeonghan an apologetic smile when he sat down on his bunk, the younger assumed he went out for a few cigarettes. Jeonghan had repeatedly told him how much he hates the things but Seungcheol had been smoking for over a year before he met the younger. He had tried multiple times to quit at Jeonghan’s request, almost succeeding a few, but old habits die hard and the stress placed on the oldest boy’s shoulders did little to help.  
  
When Seungcheol was settled he pulled out an old and weathered deck of cards from beneath his bed. He opened the box quietly and threw it back to the floor with little care for where it went. The boy then glanced up and around the room, his hands already busy shuffling. He spotted Junhui leaning against the wall by Hansol and Seokmin’s bunk, eyes closed but fingers tapping a beat against his own arm that only he could hear.  
  
“Jun, you up to get your ass whipped in cards?” The words travelled across the room quickly and the boy was smirking before he could even open his eyes to meet the elder’s. He pushed himself off of the wall and casually made his way to Seungcheol’s bunk. Sitting down lightly opposite the other boy, he crossed his bare feet and leaned forward before purring, “I never lose, Choi. You know that.” Seungcheol just grinned, teeth bared and eyes wide with trivial excitement.  
  
“We’ll see about that.”  
  
“Oh, this should be good,” Jeonghan piped up from where he had been watching the scene unravel. He smiled at Seungcheol, letting the boy know that everything was fine, that all was forgiven, just as it always was. Jeonghan stood and Jisoo’s eyes flicked up to watch the retreating form of his friend but didn’t say anything.  
  
“Move over, Jun. I want to watch Cheolie get destroyed.” Junhui easily slid over and gave the older a childlike smile before turning and sticking his tongue out at Seungcheol. The said boy was pouting and trying to muster up as much betrayal behind his glimmering eyes as possible. When Jeonghan just laughed Seungcheol huffed and began dealing cards, failing to hide his smile as he did so.  
  
Junhui had already won three games by the time Chan and Hansol showed up, the two walking into the room as quietly as possible to avoid the confrontation that was sure to come. The youngest had a red and purple bruise coating the underside of his jaw, a split lip, and a fairly obvious limp. Hansol was sporting various bruises along his arms, as well as a couple of cuts that were steadily oozing blood. His eye was black and it looked as though someone had held him by his throat, choking him. Hansol had tears in his eyes, while Chan just seemed exhausted. They looked too young to already be twelve and thirteen, with greasy black hair stuck to their foreheads and clothes that wouldn't fit them for at least another year. Jeonghan glanced up from Seungcheol's bunk when they came in and immediately sprung off the bed.  
  
“What the hell did he do to you?” Jeonghan sounded winded, and although Mingyu hadn’t gone easy on him, the sight of the two youngest so disheveled hurt more than any hit ever could have. It left him in pieces, especially since he knew he could have prevented it; he could have prevented all of it.

“Why would you go stealing from the kitchen again? You know what happened to Seungkwan last time. You're going to leave this place on a stretcher if you're not fucking careful!" Jeonghan stressed this while bringing one hand down to examine Chan's face and the other to sit protectively on Hansol's shoulder. This was a regular occurrence and nobody really felt that bad for them anymore, seeing as the two had been getting into trouble since Hansol got there almost a year ago, but Jeonghan never could stop mothering them. There wasn't even any real malice in his words, only worry. And after seeing the state of the two, he had every right to be worried. Donghyun was getting rougher.  
  
"Donghyun caught us," Hansol mumbled, looking tired and like he was hiding more bruises under his shirt. They all were, of course, but the kids tended to get beat on a little more. "I swear he's just looking for a reason to beat us. Jihee would've just let us go with a warning but he had to-"  
  
Chan quickly elbowed Hansol, causing the other to hiss quietly. He looked annoyed and frustrated enough to burst into tears, but he still dropped the subject, causing Jeonghan to sigh and Jihoon to groan from across the room. All three looked up at him but he just continued to shake his head and stare at whatever book or magazine was in his lap.  
  
"You know he likes to hit you, so why the fuck do you keep doing stupid shit?" Jihoon droned out the question as if it was a perfectly normal conversation topic. Junhui laughed a little bitterly but kept his eyes on the cards in his hand. Everyone was the youngest at one point, and everyone had faced Donghyun's wrath at least twice.

“We were hungry! And we couldn’t find Seungkwan to get us something from the corner store. We tried, but you know that Donghyun barely feeds us anymore.” Chan was right, the younger boys barely got table scraps. They were already so skinny before. The older boys had started sneaking them their servings after they had finished, but Donghyun caught Jisoo one night. After that, nobody tried to share food. Jisoo had a nasty scar on his shoulder as a reminder.

“I know you’re hungry. Sit.” Jeonghan led the two over to Seokmin’s bunk, having Seokmin scoot over in the process. Jisoo looked as though he was going to get the medical kit out again but Seokmin stopped him before he could get off of his bunk.  
  
"You've dealt with enough damage today. I'll get the brats fixed up." Jisoo looked thankful but Seokmin just gave him a reassuring smile, one that didn’t need words. The fifteen year old had lived in the home for six years now, the longest out of all of them. Junhui and Seungkwan had shown up not long after and by the time Seokmin was eleven, Jihoon and Jisoo were there too. The orphanage was different back then, back when Donghyun was only a ghost story and children were still being adopted. Seokmin liked to talk about it on days where the kids were feeling sorry for themselves or when someone got a particularly nasty beating. He told stories about how the older kids would sneak Seokmin and Seungkwan candy; how Jihoon used to have a guitar and play while Jisoo sang or Junhui danced. The five of them had a bond that the others were all undeniably envious of, one that seemed solid and certain in even the most hopeless or ridiculous situations.  
  
Seokmin marched over to Wonwoo’s empty bunk to grab the kit while Jeonghan rummaged through the little bit of food left over from Seungkwan’s corner store escapades. There was about half a bag of saewookkang left, and although he knew that Seungkwan had been saving it for later, he didn’t really have another option. He held up the bag, making eye contact with its owner.

“Sorry, Kwannie. The kids have got to eat.” The younger groaned from his bunk but didn’t say anything in protest.

Jeonghan threw the bag into Chan’s lap before returning to Seungcheol's bunk and focusing his attention back on the two playing cards, looking for a distraction. The room remained relatively quiet, save soft chewing and Seungcheol and Junhui's occasional banter. Once the two youngest were squared away by Seokmin they climbed into their respective bunks for a little rest.  
  
Despite the number of times the medical kit had been needed, the day was moving by very slowly. It was only about two in the afternoon when Donghyun was heard barging up the stairs. His heavy footfalls were clear and unmistakable and Seungcheol found himself speaking in hushed breaths. “Seokmin, get into Hansol’s bunk. Hurry. Jisoo, get in Jun’s.”  
  
The steps were coming inevitably closer and Seungcheol gestured for Junhui and Jeonghan to move over to Wonwoo and Soonyoung’s bunk, farther away from the door.  
  
Everyone jumped when the door flew open and hit the post of Jihoon and Seungkwan's shared bunk. Jeonghan glanced up just in time to see Jisoo scramble into Junhui’s bed. The seventeen year old let out a sigh and then turned his attention back towards the man in the doorway. Donghyun was a large man. He kept his hair short and always shaved. He was burly in some ways, but Jeonghan could see many of Jihee’s softer features in has face as well. It was daunting.

The man was looking around with a bored glare on his face, trying to count the boys in the room. When he didn’t see what he was looking for he growled, scowl deepening and brow knitting together in a sort of comical cartoon anger. The alcohol on his breath could be smelt from where Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Junhui were sat in a tense silence.  
  
"Where are the rest of you?" The man sounded annoyed and tired, the bags around his eyes extremely prominent against the drunk flush of his cheeks and forehead. When there wasn’t an immediate answer, Donghyun growled and took a few more steps into the room. The old floor moaned a bit louder than usual under the man’s weight but showed no real signs of weakness. Seungcheol stood up.  
  
Donghyun glanced up at the movement and laughed a little before choking and coughing with a disgusting hack. When he regained his breathing he looked at Seungcheol again. The younger took that as a cue and began explaining.  
  
“We don’t know where they are. They’ll be back by dinner, though. They always are.” Seungcheol sounded calm and collected but so young as he picked out each word with a careful measure, as if he was speaking to a wild animal. Since he arrived three years ago, the seventeen year old had taken it upon himself to look out for the others like an older brother. Dealing with Donghyun happened to come with that burden.  
  
Seungcheol’s words seemed to pacify the man to some extent, causing him to yawn and roll his eyes before turning away from the younger. He instead looked around the room again, this time with a much less interested frown painted across his shadowed jaw. He was about to turn and leave completely when he spotted Hansol’s head poking out over the railing of his bed. Jeonghan watched as the young boy’s eyes widened before he ducked himself back down again.  
  
Donghyun looked like he was going to lunge up at the thirteen year old, his once clouded eyes suddenly vibrating with crystal clear anger. But before the man could do more than take a step, Jeonghan was jumping off of Wonwoo’s bed and bounding towards the exchange.  
  
“He’s just a kid. He doesn’t know any better.” Jeonghan let the words fly before he realized what he was even doing. He finally stopped moving when he was between Hansol’s bunk and the seething man standing in front of it. Donghyun’s eyes only filled with more irritation at the obstacle in his path and he struck his hand out in a blind fury. His palm connected loudly with Jeonghan’s cheek, the same one that Mingyu had slapped hours ago, and the seventeen year old’s back slammed against the bed post behind him. Before he could even straighten himself back out from the blow, Donghyun was lacing his fingers in Jeonghan’s long, messy hair.  
  
The man gave a rough tug, causing the boy in his grasp to shriek and hiss as he was pulled out of the way. Jeonghan tripped and fell to his knees, his hands already knotting themselves around the older man’s wrist in order to find some relief. When Donghyun’s grip only tightened Jeonghan began letting out pleas and muffled swears, the pain in his scalp blurring his usual stubborn rebellion until it rippled out of focus like the surface of a pond.  
  
“Fuck! I’m sorry! Please, stop!” Jeonghan knew deep in the back of his mind that he sounded ridiculous; that he sounded weak. He thought about the kids listening from in their bunks but decided it wasn’t important at this point. The boy knew that no matter how strong someone was, they weren’t invincible. Shit hurt sometimes. Unfortunately, hair pulling hurt like a bitch.

Donghyun pulled up, exposing jeonghan’s pale throat. Seeing this, the man bent down to the boy’s level, putting his lips up to his ear.

“You look good on your knees, whore. Offer still stands.”  
  
Jeonghan thought he saw Seungcheol stand up out of the corner of his eye and he hoped that Junhui wouldn’t let him do anything stupid. Before he could really think about it though, Donghyun was releasing his iron like hold on the younger boy’s hair and sending him flying to the floor in front of Jihoon and Seungkwan’s bunk haphazardly.  
  
“Stay out of the way next time, bitch.” Donghyun spit the words with muted venom before turning to leave. Seungcheol took a second to watch him go, the door slamming closed behind him.  
  
Jisoo didn’t even wait for Donghyun to leave; he was already jumping off of Junhui’s bunk and running to Jeonghan. The older had moved himself into a sitting position with his eyes still pinched shut and a pained furrow in his brow. He had seen better days but Jisoo was quick to remind himself that they all had. Jeonghan leaned into Jisoo when he settled next to him and let out a sarcastic, breathy laugh. "He always goes for the hair. Every damn time." Jisoo didn't think it was very funny but he laughed anyways, pretending not to see the tears in the corners of the elder’s eyes.  
  
"Maybe you should cut it," Jihoon deadpanned. He held no emotion in his voice but when Jeonghan glanced up at him sitting on his top bunk, he was staring back down with concern etched in the lines of his face. Jeonghan smiled and sucked in a quick breath before sending Jihoon a wink. "But then I wouldn't be so mysterious and irresistible."  
  
The concern on Jihoon's face was still prominent but it was soon masked by amusement. "You're a real ass, you know? I almost felt bad for you." Jihoon groaned and rolled himself over so he was facing away from the two on the floor. Jeonghan just laughed louder, the few tears that had finally fallen seeming out of place on his soft skin.  
  
Seungcheol finally walked himself over to the two and crouched down, reaching his hand out for Jeonghan's cheek. "Today really isn't your day." Jeonghan just nodded and tucked himself further into Jisoo. Seungcheol glanced at the younger boy, eyes a bit accusing as he did so. Jisoo refused to look at him and the tension settled into its usual light haze over the two.  
  
Junhui flopped down onto Seungcheol's bed, letting out a breath he was holding throughout the entire encounter with Donghyun. “What did he say to you?”

The older boy pinched his eyes closed once again and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“Nothing.”

Jeonghan reached out for Seungcheol to pull him up. When he was finally standing, he took calculated quiet steps over to Jisoo's vacant bed. He laid himself down with his eyes closed and ran his fingers over his temples and scalp gently.  
  
"What do you mean, nothing?”  
  
Surprisingly, it was Jisoo who asked. Jeonghan kept his eyes shut and tone as dismissive as possible when he declared, “I mean, he didn’t say anything important.”  
  
Jeonghan could tell that his words did little to quell the younger boy’s curiosity and he huffed out a halfhearted laugh. At that moment Jisoo decided to sit himself delicately on the bed beside him. He knew it was him because of the fingertips tracing lightly along the veins on Jeonghan's forearm. Only Jisoo did that.  
  
"Jeonghan, did he-" Seungcheol sounded a bit frightened as he spoke but the other boy cut him off before he could finish, already knowing the question.  
  
“Not right now, Seungcheol.” Jeonghan kept his words sharp, not wanting to have the discussion with the younger boys around. He knew it was ridiculous to avoid it; everyone knew what Jeonghan was doing on the streets before he got picked up and dropped off in a different hell, even little Chan. It wouldn’t be long before they all knew what Donghyun was doing; what he was proposing of Jeonghan.

Jisoo quit tracing the older boy's veins and rather interlaced their fingers. Jeonghan was sure that Seungcheol noticed but it honestly didn't matter to him at that point.

“Did he what?” Chan sounded lost and Jeonghan wasn’t about to fill him in.  
  
“We put up with a lot of shit but we can’t put up with that, Jeonghan.” Seungcheol was talking too fast and it was making Jeonghan's headache worse. The younger just sighed, an argument bubbling on his tongue despite his better judgment.

"I said not right now, Cheol. Plus what do you plan on doing? We can’t go to the cops or we’ll all get dumped in worse places than this, and we won’t be together anymore." Jeonghan’s careful tone successfully ended the conversation and he once again focused on the calmness of Jisoo’s fingers intertwined with his own.

Nobody in the room could tell exactly who Jeonghan was referring to when he said “we”. Jisoo wanted to believe he meant all twelve of them, but he kept his mouth shut for fear of being wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

It couldn't have been more than an hour by the time Mingyu showed up. He had a good sized gash under his eye, one that Jeonghan was sure wasn’t there earlier, and bloody knuckles. Seokmin quickly grabbed his arm, sitting him down on the closest vacant bunk before he could argue, already pulling out the gauze from the first aid kit. Mingyu would normally resist, tell anyone who tried to help him to fuck off, but he was preoccupied with Seungcheol sending him a glare from across the room. Mingyu returned it with a dark smile, but nothing else came of it.  
  
When Seokmin was done cleaning him up, antiseptic smeared high over the arch of his cheekbone and knuckles wrapped in cheap white bandages, Junhui threw a slew of questions at him.  
  
"Where were you? Picking fights you can't win? We had to deal with Donghyun. Jeonghan’s gotten hurt twice today because of you." Mingyu stayed where he was sitting while he stared at the older boy. He smiled with a malicious glint in his eyes and huffed arrogantly.  
  
"I don't really give a shit what happened to the whore. Besides, she looks perfectly fine to me." Seungcheol stood up and rushed forward, hands on Mingyu's throat before the other could swallow. The older pulled the sixteen year old up from where he was sitting and had him pinned to the wall. Mingyu just smiled with a cocky lilt to his lips. Jeonghan groaned from where he was still laying on the bed, eyes still closed but mind throbbing from the noise of everything that was happening around him.  
  
"I appreciate the gesture Seungcheol, but my head hurts and you're being extremely loud. Besides, Mingyu can call me a whore or a bitch all he wants but we all know he's fucking Wonwoo. Who's a bigger whore than that?" Jihoon let out a snort, eavesdropping on the conversation as usual. The younger had his eyes glued to a book, ignoring the violence below, while the rest of the boys were staring intently from their own bunks. Mingyu didn't seem too fazed by Jeonghan's words but Seungcheol let him down either way.

Mingyu caught his breathe fairly quickly, standing up to his full height and leaning back against the wall.

“Did you tell your boyfriend what I said earlier, Hannie?” The nickname was bitter in the air and Jeonghan huffed, knowing that Seungcheol wouldn’t let it go now.

The oldest boy’s head whipped back and forth between Jeonghan and Mingyu, eyes big and mouth pressed in a line. He looked like he was about to interrogate, about to corner Jeonghan into telling him, but Jisoo spoke up.

“Kim Mingyu will you shut the fuck up! We have had enough of you today.” If Jeonghan snapping had been a little weird, Jisoo losing his temper was downright bizarre. Jisoo was always so calm and collected, looking down on the way Mingyu and Soonyoung behaved. Although it was summer, and none of them would be attending school for another few months, Jisoo was the one who tried to tutor Hansol in math and Seokmin in English. He was the one who sewed patches in Wonwoo’s ripped jeans and Seungkwan’s favorite shirt. He was the one who would quietly take a punishment, risking it all so that Chan could have a little extra dinner. He was motherly, maybe a little less so than Jeonghan, but tender with the younger boys. And he most certainly did not raise his voice in front of them, no matter what Mingyu did. Until now.

Even Mingyu had the decency to look a little surprised at the outburst, but the look was quickly replaced. The younger boy pushed himself off of the wall, strolling passed Seungcheol and around one of the bunks before he came face to face with Jisoo. He laughed, a little breathlessly, and glanced back at Jeonghan, who had by now opened his eyes. Mingyu quickly turned back to Jisoo, eyes questioning but nothing less than smug.

“How long has this been going on?” The words were quiet, but the room was too small for secrets. Nobody made a sound, including Jisoo, who stood his ground with a scowl on his face.

Seungcheol had grown irritated, more so than before. He glanced at Jeonghan, who looked caught between a rock and hard place, eyes wide and concerned.

“What the fuck are you talking about? What the fuck is he talking about?” The first question was directed at Mingyu, who ignored it in favor of continuing his stare off with Jisoo. The second question, however, was to the whole room. A few moments passed, Jisoo too absorbed with his uncharacteristic anger to come up with an answer. Jeonghan sat up, eyes flickering around the room and hand coming up to steady his throbbing head.

“Mingyu, leave him alone. You sound fucking stupid right now.” Jeonghan mumbled the words, but they caught the sixteen year old’s attention nonetheless.

“Did you tell him, Hannie? Seungcheol? Or maybe Jisoo? I bet they wouldn’t blame me for it, especially since it looks like you’re fucking them both anyways. Once a whore, always a-“

The oldest turned sharply and landed a fist square into Mingyu’s nose. The sixteen year old let out a sharp yell and a train of curses.  
  
“Stop fucking talking.” Seungcheol stood over the younger as he collapsed onto his knees, hand on his nose. The blood trickled down rather quickly, staining his sweatshirt and jeans. Dark eyes looked up at the oldest, but Mingyu decidedly held his tongue, realizing he had already said enough.

Jeonghan was staring at his hands, a stray tear forming in the corner of his eye. Jeonghan rarely cried, save a bad beating, but he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to hide it from the kids. He supposed it didn’t matter anyways, now that he was all anyone was going to be talking about.

Jisoo was behind him then, rubbing his back and whispering about how it didn’t matter what Mingyu said. That Mingyu was a dick and nobody listened to him anyways. Jeonghan didn’t care.

Junhui had been watching the whole thing unfold from Seungcheol’s bed, arms finally beginning to lose tension. He stood up, scooting around Seungcheol to retrieve the medical kit from atop Wonwoo’s mattress. He threw the box at Mingyu’s lap, not caring whether it hit him or not.

“There's a new kid coming today. Get your ass cleaned up."  
  
Mingyu glared at him through all the blood on his face, some from his nose and some from the reopened cut. In the end he just shook his head, grabbed the kit, and made way to his own bunk on the far side of the room.

It was quiet for a long time, nobody, especially not Jeonghan, wanting to open their mouths.

Everyone had already known. Jeonghan was practically naked when the police dropped him off three years ago. It was hard not to assume.

Finally, it was Jihoon who broke the silence with a question. By then, Seungcheol had joined Junhui on the bunk, brow set in a hard line. Jisoo had stopped trying to comfort Jeonghan, instead leaning against the headboard and staring at his hands. Mingyu’s nose had stopped bleeding and he was trying to wipe his hands clean on his already ruined sweatshirt.

“Where are Wonwoo and Soonyoung?” Jihoon’s eyes were locked on Mingyu, waiting for an answer. The tall boy glanced up before returning to the task of cleaning his hands. Jihoon grumbled but didn’t ask again, instead keeping his narrow eyes on the sixteen year old.

“Soonyoung’s down the road with the thugs from four blocks over. I don’t fucking know where Wonwoo is.”

The reply was mumbled, the boys all having to strain to hear. Mingyu left it there and Jihoon sighed. It was more than he was expecting, if he was being honest.

Suddenly, Junhui reached down for the boots under his bed, sliding them on with only minor difficulty. Seungcheol threw him a curious glance, one to which the younger responded, "Someone's got to go get them, unless you want Jeonghan to end up bald?"  
  
There was humor laced in the words but nobody laughed, not after what had just happened. He finished lacing his boots when he looked back up at Seungcheol. "You coming?"  
  
Seungcheol let out an exasperated sigh and nodded, sending a final glare Mingyu’s way. He slid his boots on and dared a glance over at Jeonghan, whose eyes were in his lap, and Jisoo, who was staring at nothing. Seungcheol was disappointed but he stood and left the room anyways, Junhui right behind him.  
  
A few minutes passed and Seokmin cleared his throat, “What the hell just happened?” Jeonghan finally looked up but decided not to answer. He didn’t even know what he’d say if he did.


	5. Chapter 5

Once outside, Junhui started down the street, leaving the older boy to chase after him. Seungcheol tried to stay close but he couldn’t help falling behind. Everything that Mingyu had said, both to Jeonghan and about Jisoo, it was making his head spin.

Halfway down the road, Junhui stopped before turning and facing the older boy. He shook his head slowly, taking a step forward and into Seungcheol’s space. The older narrowed his eyes, going to open his mouth when Junhui beat him to it.

“I need you to be honest with me.”

The words didn’t clear up any of Seungcheol’s confusion, and he stood their silently for a second.

“About?” The younger frowned but carried on nonetheless.

“What the fuck is going on with you and Jeonghan?”

Seungcheol was expecting the question eventually, but not so soon after Mingyu’s little episode. He hadn’t even been able to process everything yet. Despite how caught off guard he felt, the older steadied his lips into a tight line and kept his eyes locked with Junhui.

“It’s complicated.” The younger laughed, waving his arms sarcastically as he did so.

“Really? It’s complicated? Everyone can tell that something is going on, Seungcheol. You two have been weird for weeks. And Jisoo? What the hell happened between you two?”

There were too many questions being thrown his way and Seungcheol hadn’t the slightest idea of how he was supposed to answer them. He didn’t even know what was going on between him and Jisoo, let along if there was something going on between Jisoo and Jeonghan. The entire ordeal was tense and confusing and the last thing that Seungcheol wanted to do was yell about it in the street.

Despite this, the older sighed. Junhui was going to find out eventually. He supposed they all were.

“You know how I feel about Jeonghan, Jun.” The words weren’t a question, and the younger nodded quickly, gesturing for Seungcheol to continue. When the older stayed quiet for a few seconds longer, Junhui grumbled.

“Yes, I know. The whole damn block knows, Seungcheol! What the fuck does-“

“I told him.” Junhui stopped his complaining as Seungcheol mumbled out those three words. The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth sat open for a few seconds, trying to catch up with his brain.

“You told him? When?” The words were much quieter now that the younger realized the delicate situation they were in.

“About three weeks ago. The day that Donghyun busted up Hansol’s knee pretty bad. I don’t know why, maybe because he was sad, but I just did it.”

There were a few people walking passed them on the sidewalk and the boys scooted up against the brick wall. The people, two older women, glanced at them for a few seconds longer than necessary, eyes judging and sharp. Seungcheol noticed and rolled his eyes, turning back to face Junhui. The younger was still trying to come up with something to say.

“Did he not take it well?” Junhui was cautious as he said it and Seungcheol snorted but shook his head.

“No, he was fine. I mean, I guess it was just weird. He was sweet, but we didn’t really talk about it. Still haven’t.” The older hadn’t realized how heavy those words had felt sitting on his chest until he finally said them out loud. Junhui looked at the ground then, feeling uncomfortable.

“But to answer your other question, I don’t really know what happened with Jisoo.” And just like that, the older tucked his emotions away where they belonged, steeling himself like he had been since he met Jeonghan. Seungcheol shrugged softly and made to walk around Junhui. The younger looked up and quickly grabbed Seungcheol’s sleeve, effectively stopping him.

“You don’t know? What do you mean you don’t know? Why are you pissed at him?” Seungcheol pulled his arm out of the younger’s grip, continuing down the street. Junhui followed him immediately.

“I’m not pissed at him.”

“Sure you’re not.”

“Look, Jun.” The older boy stopped hard, turning to face the younger and sighing as Junhui jumped back. The words had been louder than intended. “It isn’t any of your business. Drop it.”

And the younger did drop it, begrudgingly anyway. Seungcheol didn’t want to tell him, so he wouldn’t. Junhui was just glad to have some insight on the whole Jeonghan situation. 

Despite the tension between them, the two continued down the street side by side. They received a few more looks, wandering eyes lingering on scrawny limbs and dirty clothes, but ignored them out of habit.

It wasn’t hard to find Soonyoung. He was exactly where Mingyu had said he would be, four blocks over. The only surprise was finding the boy shoved up against a filthy brick wall, cigarette in his mouth and someone else's knife against his throat. The older usually wouldn’t have been too worried but after a quick scan, Seungcheol realized that it was six against one. Junhui was good, and Seungcheol wasn’t too bad himself, but he didn’t like those odds if it came to a fight.  
  
"Hey!" Seungcheol swore as Junhui yelled at the thugs surrounding Soonyoung. Things could end bloody if he wasn’t more careful.  
  
The one with the knife at Soonyoung's neck turned and appraised them before laughing a little, clearly surprised. He looked bored and itching for a fight. Seungcheol was silently begging Junhui to hold his tongue, something the younger regularly failed to do in these situations. The guy dropped the shank from Soonyoung's throat and began slowly walking towards the two.

"I'm sorry. Can I help you?" He was clearly toying with Junhui's temper and it was working, seeing as the latter took a threatening step forward before Seungcheol grabbed his arm.  
  
The other man was watching and when he received no response, he just laughed again.

"I assume he belongs to you, then. He's fucking stupid, you know? Came over here for a smoke and ended up picking a fight." At this, Soonyoung growled and tried to lunge at the man before another one grabbed his collar and slammed him back against the wall. He winced but stayed still, unlit cigarette falling out of his mouth and onto the ground. Seungcheol shook his head with disappointment written on his face. Junhui still looked pissed. The older couldn't decide if it was at Soonyoung or the man with the knife.  
  
"We know. Unfortunately, we do need to collect him alive if at all possible." Seungcheol spoke calmly, as if he had the entire situation under control. The man looked at him and scoffed, a bit shocked at how Seungcheol was addressing him. Nonetheless, he snapped at the man holding Soonyoung's shirt and told him to let him go. Soonyoung jerked away sharply before marching through the six men and towards Junhui and Seungcheol with a defiant tilt to his chin. The oldest noticed he was breathing a little strangely, probably a product of the beating he received before they arrived. Soonyoung probably deserved it.   
  
"Sure. We beat on him pretty good anyway. But fair warning, he's not going to be in this good of shape next time." The man nodded at Seungcheol and was about to turn back to his friends. Suddenly, Junhui stepped forward and flew a punch right into Soonyoung's jaw. The younger fell back and stumbled onto the concrete. Junhui just rolled his eyes and turned to leave.  
  
The man smiled and let out an honest laugh.

"I'll look forward to meeting you again," he called after Junhui. He sent one last glance at Soonyoung, who was trying to sit up, and snorted. Seungcheol just sighed and grabbed the boy by the arm, hoisting him up and dragging him along.  
  
Once they caught up to Junhui, Soonyoung let out a barked, "What the fuck was that for?" He didn't really have time to finish though because the older was spinning around at face him with a retort.

"You know damn well what that was for! Get your shit together, Soonyoung. We can't just go around town looking for you every other day." Soonyoung swallowed but looked away with an eye roll. Junhui turned and stared at the ground, shoulders rising and falling with his heavy breaths. Seungcheol just sighed and pushed Soonyoung towards the orphanage.

"Go home. Now. We’re right behind you.”  
  
Junhui had cooled down significantly by the time the older decided to turn his attention to him, but there was still an edge in his voice.

“We can’t keep doing this. The fights and the drugs and the running away all the time. It’s too fucking much, Cheol. You remember what happened to Minjae and Haneul? It took a year just to get Seungkwan talking again.” Seungcheol closed his eyes for a moment and remembered the two, before sighing and waiting for Junhui to continue.  
  
"What'd he think was going to happen if we hadn't shown up, huh? Soonyoung and Mingyu are walking a thin line and I'm really fucking tired of it." Junhui kicked a stray bottle on the sidewalk and watched as it broke against the concrete. Seungcheol couldn't help but notice how weathered Junhui looked for a sixteen year old. Seungcheol hated it.  
  
"You sound like the hyung," the older laughed humorlessly. Junhui sent him a weary glance but returned to kicking random rocks and bottles on the ground. He sighed but opened his mouth anyways.

"We all agreed not to use honorifics a long time ago. It's not worth it." Seungcheol nodded but kept his eyes down.

The older sighed, ignoring the sound of glass breaking. He turned toward the orphanage, watching Soonyoung grow smaller the further he went.

“Come on. The new kid should be here soon. Let’s go home.”


	6. Chapter 6

Soonyoung was sat on the front step when the two made it back to the orphanage. The younger stood up, shooting Junhui a glare as he did. The older ignored the act, rolling his eyes.

“Why are you just sitting out here?” Seungcheol looked up at the front doors curiously, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

“Didn’t think we should open the door twice.” The boy shrugged at Seungcheol’s question before turning to walk up the dingy concrete steps. The oldest went to follow before Junhui stuck out his hand to stop him.

“We should go through the back. Donghyun’s probably sitting in the front room.” Seungcheol thought for a second before nodding, following the younger. Soonyoung sighed but followed as well, a few steps behind the two. 

Once around the corner, the three were surprised to see Wonwoo sitting on the pavement, leaning against the brick with his head on his knees. He looked tired, but okay, and Seungcheol decided to ignore the bruise on his cheek. Soonyoung would already feel bad enough.

“Have you been out here this entire time?” Junhui sounded pissed, but after dealing with Soonyoung the oldest couldn’t really blame him. The entire thing was exhausting and downright pointless.

Wonwoo’s head shot up, eyes wide and frightened before he realized who was yelling at him. Seungcheol hated that look; it came from too many years of fear and abuse, hiding and pretending you weren’t suffering just to make the little things easier. Donghyun had done a number on them, sure, but Wonwoo had been through worse. He had been at the orphanage for four years, but the boy was tossed around from home to home for six before that. Seungcheol didn’t know exactly what the younger had been through, but he knew it was bad; he knew that it left scars that would never heal.

Wonwoo stood up quickly and silently, keeping his head down. In that moment, he looked every bit of the scrawny fifteen year old he was and Seungcheol wished he hadn’t been looking so closely.

“I- No, I went to the corner store for cigarettes, and, uhh-“ The boy cut himself off after realizing how poorly he was stumbling over the words. Junhui huffed but didn’t press harder.

“I didn’t want to go inside without someone. Incase.” The boy was ringing his fingers by now, a nervous habit that he stole from Jeonghan. The older boy had always done it, but since Seungcheol called him out on it a few months ago, he had been consciously trying to stop. Wonwoo, on the other hand, was a lost cause when it came to the tick.

Junhui stared at him hard for a few seconds, eyes softening despite his irritation. Wonwoo was unbelievably pure, and although he could be an ass sometimes, he never meant to.

Seungcheol pulled his lips into a thin line before wetting them. They were chapped. Seungkwan kept forgetting to get chapstick on his corner store runs.

“Okay. Let’s go.”  
  
Junhui went inside first, making sure the coast was clear before beckoning the others in as well. He could hear the television playing in the front room, signaling that Donghyun was definitely there.

He marched upstairs with quiet footsteps, avoiding the few known squeaky boards and hitting the landing with soft feet. He turned and saw Wonwoo and Seungcheol following with weary eyes, Soonyoung close behind. The four boys quickly climbed the last few steps, shuffling into their shared room one behind the other.  
  
It would have been much too big for a bedroom had the orphanage been a regular house, but considering the circumstances, it fit the twelve boys fairly tight. There were only two other rooms on the second story, a bathroom and a locked office that Donghyun occasionally used. Junhui, like most of the boys, had never been inside, but he knew that Jeonghan had. It was almost three years ago, right after he arrived. The older never told any of them what was inside, nor why Donghyun took him in there. When Jisoo had asked, soft and concerned, Jeonghan kept his eyes down and mumbled something about paperwork.  
  
"Fucking finally. What took you so damn long?" Jihoon called out from his bed, where he was folding tiny paper airplanes and shooting them at Seokmin. The younger boy was leaning against the wall and ignoring the assault, trying lot to laugh as one hit him square in the nose.  
  
Leaving the question for the others, Wonwoo quietly made his way to his bed and sat down. He pulled his legs up and folded himself underneath a wrinkled blanket, facing away from the majority of the boys. Mingyu was the only one that could see his face from where he was sitting and he frowned at how tired it looked.  
  
Seungcheol sighed and decided to be the one to speak up. “Soonyoung was in a bit of a predicament.”

It wasn’t a lie, even though Junhui’s interrogation session with Seungcheol is what really held them up. The older wasn’t exactly dying to tell everyone what that was about, so he didn’t bring it up.  
  
Jeonghan was sitting with Jisoo and Seungkwan on the youngest's bed, the two oldest on opposite ends. The bandage was gone from Jeonghan’s scraped cheek, and Seungcheol could see the dried blood scabbing on the skin. Chan and Hansol were sitting cross legged on Seokmin's bed, hands occupied with the set of cards that Seungcheol and Junhui had been playing with hours ago.  
  
Seungcheol haphazardly fell onto his bed while Junhui sat delicately on Jisoo's, rather than climbing up into his own. The two looked rather drained and silently hoped that they wouldn’t have to recount the whole ordeal with the street thugs.  
  
“Let me guess. The dumbass was getting his ass kicked and Seungcheolie had to come save the day.” The oldest winced at Mingyu’s use of the nickname. Nobody called him that but Jeonghan, and it annoyed him that the sixteen year old was still trying to get under his skin.

Soonyoung luckily didn’t take the bait either, instead just glaring at Mingyu and strolling over to Wonwoo’s bed. He sat on the edge quietly, softly reaching out and patting the younger’s calf through the thin blanket. 

There was a lapse of silence among the boys, the only noise wafting up through the open window. Even without asking, Seungcheol knew it was Jeonghan who had opened it. The younger once told him that hearing the birds in the summer reminded him of his older sister. Seungcheol knew that he missed her. Knowing that she was still out there, off at university by now, was like torture for the boy. When the others were all asleep one night, Jeonghan had quietly admitted to the oldest that he sometimes wished his family had died, like Jisoo’s or Jihoon’s, just so that he could stop hoping he’d see them again. The boy had cried after that, letting out violent sobs into Seungcheol’s chest. It was frightening and uncharacteristic, but Seungcheol was glad the younger had told him and him alone.

“Boys!”

The cry had Jeonghan shooting off of Seungkwan’s bed, quietly motioning for the younger to climb up into Jihoon’s. The older boy quickly scooted over, giving Seungkwan more room to hide against the wall.

Seokmin was waving the two youngest toward the ladder on his bunk, ushering them into Hansol’s bed and quickly following them up. Chan and Hansol hurried themselves down and toward the back of the bunk, furthest from the door. Seokmin sat in front of them, trying to ignore the tight squeeze.

Soonyoung was pulling Wonwoo out from under the covers and mumbling for him to hurry. The younger looked drowsy and confused, and when Mingyu glanced at him, he realized that Wonwoo must have been asleep. Soonyoung practically pushed Wonwoo up into his bed, decidedly standing in front of the ladder instead of climbing up as well.

Junhui stayed on the bottom bunk, shoulders regaining the tension that they usually carried. He locked eyes with Jisoo across the room, quickly signaling him over. Jisoo hurried toward the bed, trying to keep his steps light as he did so.

Mingyu stayed seated on his own bed as well, acting as though the footsteps on the stairs weren’t bothering him in the slightest.

Seungcheol stood from his bunk, positioning himself in front of Jeonghan and preparing for Jihee, and subsequently Donghyun, to make an appearance.

The door opened slowly, stopping as it hit Jihoon’s bed post with a soft thud. Jihee stepped in first, her steps short and light. She had a small smile on her face that looked unbelievably out of place on the weathered features.

Donghyun stayed in the doorway, eyes bored and heavy. His presence made all of the boys weary, but as Jihee began speaking, the tension slowly eased into the background.

“Boys. I told Jeonghan earlier, but we have a new friend who will be staying with us.” Seungcheol cringed at the use of the word friend. Jihee always said that. 

The woman turned slightly toward her son, giving him a small gesture with her hands. At this, Donghyun sighed and pulled a small boy out from behind the wall where he was hiding, pushing him into the room. The push wasn’t hard, but he stumbled a little nonetheless. Jihee reached out for him gently, but the small boy shied away from her pale hands.

The woman didn’t push, just smiled softly and let her hands drop back to her sides before turning her attention toward Junhui across the room. The boy’s eyes widened at the sudden attention.

“Everyone, this is Xu Minghao. He’s here from China, like our Junnie. We aren’t sure how much Korean he speaks so I will need you to help with translating.” The last sentence was directed solely to Junhui. The boy glanced from her hopeful eyes to the small Chinese boy.

The boy, Minghao, was glancing around the room confusedly. It was obvious to all the boys that he didn’t understand anything, save his own name. His eyes looked sunken in and tired, his skin pale and dotted with a few cuts and scrapes here and there. Jeonghan thought he couldn’t have been older than twelve.

Jihee was still staring at Junhui expectantly and the boy realized that he hadn’t responded. His eyes flickered over to Donghyun, who was scowling quietly, before he opened his mouth to reply.

“Of course.” The reply was quipped and jumbled but Jihee smiled nonetheless. The woman turned to face the boy, who by now had unshed tears brewing behind his eyes. Jihee acted as though they weren’t there, walking passed him and toward the exit without so much as another word. Donghyun allowed her to pass before glancing back into the room. His eyes landed on each boy for a second, lingering on Jeonghan. Seungcheol glared but Donghyun didn’t so much as laugh at him, instead grabbing the door and slamming it shut. It shook the entire room, and Minghao flinched noticeably.

Seungcheol’s shoulders sagged at the noise, exhausted from the tension being held there. The oldest slumped over toward his bed once again, flopping down onto his stomach and ignoring the child cowering in front of him. Jeonghan stayed where he was standing, eyes soft as they locked on Minghao. The boy shuffled back toward the door, keeping his eyes focused on the different boys around the room. Once his back his the peeling wood, he stopped and slid down to the floor.

Jeonghan glanced quickly toward Junhui, who was standing now, Jisoo right behind him. The younger boy began walking over slowly, hands stretched out in hopes of easing Minghao’s nerves. Jisoo followed slowly, sliding up beside Jeonghan and placing delicate fingers on his worried shoulder.

“Jun, can you try talking to him?” Jeonghan whispered the words, afraid of scaring the small boy any more than they already had. Junhui turned to shoot him a careful look.

“I can try. I don’t even know what he speaks. I’m pretty bad in Cantonese.” Junhui faced Minghao once again, eyes as soft as possible despite the fear and tension radiating off of the younger.

“I’m Junhui. How old are you?” The older boy mumbled out the broken Chinese and Minghao’s eyes clouded. His eyes narrowed but he didn’t answer, as if he couldn’t quite understand. Junhui was quiet for a second, been when he still didn’t receive a response, he decided to try Mandarin.

“I’m Junhui. Can you tell me how old you are?” Minghao’s eyes widened finally, and Junhui knew that he had understood him.

“F-Fourteen.” The boy’s voice was trembling but Jeonghan let out a sigh of relief when he answered. Muteness was hard to handle, and the older frowned thinking back to the months where Seungkwan refused to open his mouth.

“You’re doing great, Minghao. Do you speak any Korean?” The younger was quickly regaining himself, and Jeonghan felt a small amount of pride at the boy’s behavior. He definitely wasn’t this calm when it was him sitting on the floor, crying and desperately trying to cover his exposed skin from the confused and prying eyes.

The boy shook his head slowly, looking as though he should apologize. Junhui just smiled softly. “That’s fine, Minghao.”

The younger relaxed slightly before glancing around once again, looking completely out of place. It was only then that Junhui realized what the younger was wearing. At first it looked like a normal pair of shorts and a shirt. The shorts were black and stopped too high up on Minghao’s small thighs. The shirt was white and excruciatingly thin, clinging to the boy’s small frame as if it was a few sizes too small. The clothes looked new and clean, and Junhui couldn’t figure out why the hell a fourteen year old boy would be wearing them.

“Am- Am I in Korea?” The question was sudden and it puzzled Junhui, his brow scrunching up slightly.

“Yeah. You’re at an orphanage, just outside of Seoul.”

Minghao looked as though his worst fears had been confirmed, his eyes widening and the tears beginning to fall.

“I don’t- How-“ The boy was starting the breathe heavily, quiet voice louder and more desperate than Junhui had thought possible.

“What’s he saying? What’s wrong?” Jeonghan was, of course, already concerned about the younger boy. He shrugged Jisoo’s hands off of his shoulder to take a few steps forward, Minghao not taking any notice.

Junhui ignored the question, instead staring intently into the younger boy’s eyes.

“How did you get here?” Minghao’s breathing was not improving and Junhui was surprised the younger could stumble out an answer to his question, even if it wasn’t very coherent.

“These men- I was home. My mom and dad, I don’t know if-“ Seungcheol was sitting up from his bed once again, eyes concerned at the sudden shift in Minghao’s emotional state. Jeonghan was reaching out slowly, trying not to scare the younger boy. He loosely wrapped his nimble fingers around a small hand. When Minghao didn’t flinch or pull away, the older took it as a sign to keep going. He inched forward, placing his other hand on the child’s shoulder, rubbing soothingly.

Seungcheol stood, moving next to Junhui quietly.

“What’s he saying, Jun?” The younger snapped his eyes away from the crying boy and latched them onto Seungcheol’s concerned ones. His lip quivered for a second, unsure exactly what to say.

“I don’t think he knows how he got to Korea. He doesn’t know where his family is? He’s hard to understand.” The Chinese boy took a deep breath before glancing back at Minghao, who by now was completely incased in Jeonghan’s thin arms, nearly hysterical. Junhui didn’t want to watch, but he couldn’t move.

Jeonghan looked over his shoulder abruptly, eyes locking with Junhui.

“Tell him to fucking breathe, Jun. He doesn’t understand me.” The younger was snapped into action by Jeonghan’s sharp words. The older slowly guided Minghao to the ground, allowing the boy to lean heavily against his chest. Junhui squatted down next to the two, mumbling reassurances and orders to breathe.

It took nearly ten minutes before the fourteen year old was calm, eyes puffy and hands lips wobbling. Jeonghan was petting his hair lightly, and as the smaller slowly regained some semblance of himself, he began to pull away from the comforting touches. Jeonghan frowned, but let him go, deciding that sitting beside him would have to do.

Jihoon was looking down from his buck, Seungkwan peeking his head around as best he could. After a few quiet moments of Minghao’s breathing settling down, the older of the two spoke up for the first time.

“Jun. How old’s the kid?” Junhui looked up at the mention of his name, sighing when realizing he was going to be translating for a long time.

“He’s fourteen, speaks Mandarin. I couldn’t get anything else out of him before he lost it.” Jihoon hummed at the boy’s answer, choosing not to respond and instead staring at the fourteen year old. That’s all any of them could do, save Junhui; just stare.

“I think my parents are dead.” The words were unexpected and Junhui felt as though he was getting whiplash from the quick back and forth. He hadn’t spoken in Chinese in years, not since Yuanjun left. 

Minghao was looking down at his hands and Junhui did the same, noticing the bruising around his wrists. It wasn’t too bad, but it looked unnaturally dark against the boy’s fair skin. Junhui didn’t want to think about where it had come from, but he was certain he would have to ask. Jeonghan would make him, or Seungcheol, or Jisoo.

“What did he say, Jun?” Chan was the one to speak up. Even though he was only eleven, the boy was practically fearless and completely curious.

Despite the question, Junhui wouldn’t dare repeat Minghao’s words aloud, knowing how sore the topic of family was among the boys. Chan hadn’t even known his parents; he was too young to remember them when he was taken away. Junhui didn’t want to hurt the boy by rubbing salt in wounds that would probably never heal.

“We need to go somewhere else.” The words were louder than intended and Minghao looked up at him in surprise. Junhui tried to smile reassuringly, be couldn’t pretend with the kids looking down on him, watching this small Chinese boy tear down his resolve.

“Okay, who?” Seungcheol was frowning, and he glanced at Minghao slowly before returning his eyes to the older Chinese boy.

Junhui gulped, thinking. He didn’t know who he wanted there. All he knew is that Chan and Hansol and Seungkwan shouldn’t have to hear this. None of them should.

“You two. Jisoo. And Jihoon.” The last name surprised a few of the boys, including Jihoon himself, but the sixteen year old sighed and made to climb down from his bunk for the first time since breakfast. Seungkwan moved over and gave him room to slide off the bed, brow knitted together anxiously.

The three oldest also stood, and Junhui’s legs begged him to stand and stretch them out. He looked back at Minghao quickly, noticing the rigidness in his shoulders before letting out a breath.

“Come on, Minghao. Let’s go talk. It’ll be okay.” Junhui silently hoped he wasn’t lying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fyi all of the names i use in my stories that aren't members are taken from baby naming websites lol. i don't wanna use a name of a different idol if that character ends up being super important/bad


	7. Chapter 7

The fourteen year old was less than thrilled with the idea of moving, pulling his knees to his chest and staring up at Junhui with wide, desperate eyes. The older didn’t want to make him, but they couldn’t do this in front of the kids.

“Please, Minghao. Nothing’s going to happen to you now. Let’s just go across the hall.” Junhui stuck his hand down to the boy, who stared at it for a moment. There was conflict brewing behind his brown eyes and Junhui remembered the younger’s problem with touch. Only Jeonghan had been allowed to touch the younger thus far, and once Minghao had calmed down enough to realize what was happening, he quickly put an end to it.

Despite the realization, Junhui kept his arm extended and softened his eyes as much as possible. Minghao may have been fourteen, but the older felt as though he was handling a scared child. He momentarily thought about the “men” that Minghao had mentioned, wondering what they could have possibly done to make the boy as terrified as he was.

After a quiet moment of apprehension, the younger boy finally reached up and took Junhui’s open hand. The older slowly pulled him up to his feet before letting go, allowing Minghao the space he craved.

With a quick glance from Seungcheol, the door was being swung open. Jeonghan held it as to ensure it didn’t hit the rickety bedpost and draw Donghyun’s attention from downstairs. That was the last thing the boy needed.

The oldest crossed the hall quietly, easing open the bathroom door. Jihoon and Jisoo followed silently before Junhui decided it was their turn. He took a tentative step, half-expecting Minghao to stay planted where he was. Surprisingly, the younger followed close behind the older Chinese boy, nearly stumbling as not to be left behind. Junhui just smiled sadly to himself, choosing to ignore it.

Once in the hall, Junhui glanced back to make sure Jeonghan was following. The older was slowly shutting the bedroom door, taking care to avoid as much noise as possible. Before he could shut the door, however, someone in the room caught his attention. Junhui could see the older boy mouth something, glaring before decidedly closing the door, effectively ending whatever conversation he had been having.

The younger shot him a questioning look, to which Jeonghan just huffed and rolled his eyes. Knowing he wasn’t going to get much more than that, Junhui turned and continued into the small bathroom, Minghao literally on his heels.

Once they were all squeezed inside the small room, Seungcheol carefully shut the door, locking it. If for some reason Donghyun wanted into the bathroom, the lock would prove pointless, but it seemed to reinforce a sense of privacy among the boys, so he did it anyway.

Jisoo gestured for Minghao to sit on the closed toilet, giving him his own space in the tense situation. The boy glanced at Jisoo before looking back up to Junhui questioningly. The older smiled, nodding.

“You should sit.”

The fourteen year old looked away from Junhui then, deciding to cross the small room on his own. He took a few slow steps toward Jisoo and sat gingerly on the crooked seat. Jisoo smiled at him, but the younger’s eyes remained on his lap. He was scared again, and that meant no eye contact.

Seungcheol hopped onto the little available space of the bathroom counter, slowly scooting back until he hit the wall. Jihoon was sitting in the bathtub in order to ensure enough room for the other boys to fit. Junhui pushed himself against the wall next to Jisoo, trying not to crowd him too much, while Jeonghan leaned on the closed door. There was a bout of unsure silence and weary glances before the oldest finally spoke up.

“What did he say back in the room?” Minghao’s eyes shot to Seungcheol for a second before returning to his lap. Junhui noticed the movement, sighing before answering the older boy.

“He said that he thinks his parents are dead.” Junhui whispered the words, looking up from behind his lashes. He chanced a glance at both Jihoon and Jisoo before returning his attention to the oldest. There was a reason he asked the two of them to be there.

Seungcheol kept his face relatively emotionless, but Jeonghan sucked in a sharp breath, closing his eyes slowly.

“Did he say how? Or what happened to him? Or why he’s dressed like a hooker?” Jihoon was a bit louder than necessary, his teeth grinding and muscles tensing. Junhui was worried he would react that way, but he needed him there. He didn’t know how to deal with death the way he did. The way he and Jisoo both did.

Jeonghan snapped his eyes open at the hooker comment but didn’t say anything. Jihoon hadn’t meant it that way, and they both knew it. No use in getting upset. They had bigger problems.

“No. I need to talk to him.”

Knowing that he was being talked about even without understanding, Minghao’s hard eyes wafted up to Junhui’s warm ones. There were a few more stray tears there, but nothing drastic like before. Junhui took it as a good sign.

“Minghao, why do you think your parents are dead? And what happened to you?” The boy’s face crumbled a little, his eyes shutting and his lips puckering. Despite the reaction, the boy sucked in a quick breath through his nose. He looked sad, but not as distraught as earlier.

“There were men, three of them. They came into my room, grabbed me, took me out to their car. I screamed and I could hear my parents calling my name. I didn’t ever see them, but I heard two gunshots, and then nothing.” The boy sounded too mature, too damaged, as though he had gone through hell and back.

Junhui felt a sting behind his eyes, but desperately blinked it away. He couldn’t cry, not when he was supposed to be strong for the younger boy.

“He- He says three men took him. He heard his parents calling his name and then- and then gunshots.” The Chinese boy chose to leave it there, keeping his eyes on the fourteen year old in front of him. He didn’t want to see the looks of shock on Jisoo and Jeonghan’s faces, looks that undoubtedly matched his own.

Sensing that Junhui was done translating, Minghao took it upon himself to start speaking again. Junhui wanted to tell him to stop, or at least slow down, but he figured it would be easier to just get it over with; it would be easier not to dwell.

“They blindfolded me, tied my hands behind my back. We drove for a long time, but I don’t know how long. At one point, they took me out of the car and we walked for a while. I think we were on a boat? I was so dizzy.” Despite the sorrow in his voice, the story was clear and Junhui followed easily, even though he didn’t want to. The older was having a hard time picturing the younger boy tied up and blindfolded, surrounded by the dangerous men.

Junhui swallowed the lump in his throat, opening his mouth to speak only for nothing to come out. He had intended on relaying the story to the other boys quickly, but he just couldn’t form the words. Minghao was looking at him, eyes sad and confused, but Junhui just stared.

Jisoo noticed the boy’s struggle, nudging him with his shoulder lightly. That was the first acknowledgement that the older boy had given him since the conversation started, and Junhui was glad. He swallowed again, taking a short breath before forcing himself to push through.

“They, uhh, they blindfolded him, t-tied him up. They drove for a long time, and he says he thinks they got on a boat.” Seungcheol kept his eyes steady on the older Chinese boy for a moment. He looked confused, concerned, as if something wasn’t making sense. Junhui didn’t bother to ask.

He glanced at Jisoo once again, who had his eyes locked on a cracked tile below his socked feet. Shifting his eyes to Jihoon, he noted how the boy was glaring at the side of the tub.

Junhui was about to turn his attention back to Minghao and try to formulate some sort of question to ask when Jeonghan piped up.

“I know why they took him.”

All four boys, excluding Minghao, snapped their eyes up toward Jeonghan’s wide, teary ones. They looked a little out of place considering that most of them had never seen Jeonghan cry from anything other that a nasty beating.

It was Seungcheol who found his voice first, quietly asking the same question that they were all thinking.

“What?”It was blunt and disbelieving, and Junhui wasn’t sure if him and Seungcheol had meant the same thing by it.

Jeonghan sniffled quickly, ringing his hands together despite all of his efforts not to. The seventeen year old glanced up toward Minghao, who was looking around suspiciously with the sudden tension in the air.

“The clothes, I’ve seen kids wearing that. Kids younger than Minghao. Sometimes they were Korean, but usually they were foreigners. They would be taken from home, and then-“ Jeonghan trailed off and looked down once again. Everyone in the tiny bathroom, save Minghao, knew extensive details about Jeonghan’s life as a prostitute, both on the streets and in a home. The boy didn’t want to retell them.

Jeonghan had been twelve when his mom caught him kissing the thirteen year old boy who lived across the hall. It had been quick and meaningless, nothing more than a curiosity that his hyung had indulged in, but that hadn’t mattered to the woman. Jeonghan had known he was gay for a little while, or at least known that he didn’t care for girls. They were pretty, sure, but the boy found himself admiring the attention their long hair and big eyes pulled from the boys at his school.

Jeonghan’s hair had been passed his ears, slowly approaching his shoulders, and his mother had used it to her advantage. She tangled her wiry fingers in the messy locks, scraping the boy’s scalp in the process. Jeonghan had screamed, not used to the pain he was receiving from his loving, caring mother. The boy from across the hall, Yeonjin, had left his room in an instant, scrambling out of their small apartment and back into his own with a slam of the door, leaving Jeonghan alone.

The beating hadn’t been extensive, but his father hadn’t even gotten home yet. The boy found himself curling up on the floor of his room, wishing it had been worse, just so he wouldn’t be conscious to see his father’s disappointment and rage.

And his wish came true; it got unbelievably, irrevocably worse. Jeonghan’s father hadn’t hit him, though, hadn’t so much as touched him. Instead, the man who usually only looked at him with pride and happiness stared at him blankly. Jeonghan had gone to stand up, but his father held out his arm quickly, causing the boy to flinch back.

“Don’t come near me. Don’t go near your mother or your sister. You get your things, and you leave.” The words were hissed out, and Jeonghan had to strain to hear them with the way his blood was rushing to his ears. His eyes widened and his heart stuttered before he was on his knees, begging. Despite his show of sorrow, his pleas, all the man before him could do was look away.

“Out. You have ten minutes. Find somewhere else to live.”

Jeonghan hadn’t known where to go, seeing as he was only twelve. The boy had never been rich, even when he had lived with his family, so he had seen the way poverty could control someone, albeit from a distance.

He had never imagined he would be one of the tiny boys and girls who stood inside alleyways, burly men guarding them on either side, waiting. He had never thought he would be pushed onto rock hard mattresses and thrown against dingy hotel walls, barely living just to survive. He had never dreamed it could get that bad.

Living in a home had been exponentially better than living on the streets, and Jeonghan decided he could deal with the constant flow of nameless faces so long as he had somewhere to sleep. He was freshly thirteen when Woobin took him in, gave him a tight shirt and tighter shorts and told him that all he had to do was smile and he would have a roof over his head and food on the table.

Jeonghan left eight months later, after one of the Chinese boys didn’t come back from a meeting. He had wanted out nearly immediately, but he had been afraid. Wanglei’s death had changed that; it had changed everything.

Seungcheol slid off the counter at Jeonghan’s words, hands slowly coming up to wipe away the stray tears that had fallen. The younger boy let out a quiet sob at the soft contact and Junhui looked away, the scene being too personal.

He noticed Minghao staring at the two oldest boys, surprise and concern etched into his pale face. Junhui frowned at the light bruise on the underside of smaller boy’s jaw, unsure as to how he had just noticed it.

Jeonghan’s sobs had grown considerably with Seungcheol’s warm embrace, and Junhui was starting to worry about how loud he was being. Donghyun would be far too much to handle at the moment.

Jihoon sighed from his place in the tub and the older Chinese boy shot him a questioning glance.

The anger and irritation that had been swimming in the younger boy’s eyes was gone, replaced by understanding and a strange sadness that Junhui wasn’t used to seeing there: pity.

“We need to make sure. Jun, ask him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's jeonghan's entire backstory in detail, i couldn't help but make this chapter ab him (like i do with ever chapter)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! im back!!!! im sorry it has been so long, but uni is hell and i am trapped here
> 
> also, i make moodboards on my tumblr ( @spinebroken ) and i made a jihancheol one for this fic!! the link is below, go show it some love and lemme know what you think!!
> 
> https://spinebroken.tumblr.com/post/190767143268/home-taedreamer-seventeen-band-archive-of

It had taken numerous tries before Junhui got the proper words out. He had been nervous to hear Minghao’s answer, nervous to see the effects of what Jeonghan went through on such a helpless boy. Even Jeonghan himself didn’t look this small at age fourteen.

By the time he mumbled out the question, Jeonghan was only sniffling, his sobs having dissipated slowly. Seungcheol was still consoling him, but he was trying to allow the younger some space to breathe. Jisoo wasn’t watching the exchange like he usually did. Instead, he kept his eyes on the ground, mouth turned down in a scowl, and empty eyes shining with frustrated tears that would never fall.

“M-Minghao. I need to know, did anyone- did anything ever happen? To you? Did anyone ever, h-hurt you?”

The younger boy shifted his questioning eyes away from the two oldest boys and onto Junhui. He looked confused, unsure, like he didn’t understand what Junhui was asking him.

“I- Yes, they slapped me and- and they threw me around. It wasn’t bad, but-“

Minghao stuttered over the confession but Junhui furrowed his brow. The younger didn’t understand what he meant.

Jihoon was giving him questioning eyes but the older just shot him a pointed look. The younger didn’t look irritated, just concerned, and Junhui glanced back toward the youngest.

“Did they ever t-touch you? In a way you didn’t want them to?”

The older knew it came off as brash, but he needed the younger to answer him. Scars like that heeled very differently than cuts and scrapes. Jeonghan knew that firsthand.

Minghao’s eyes widened and filled with tears immediately. Junhui didn’t want to hear an answer, wished he wasn’t the only one who spoke Chinese. He doesn’t want to be the only one hearing this trauma.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Jihoon sounded solemn, but his usual sarcasm was dimmed for the moment.

Junhui didn’t glance at the Korean boy, eyes still locked on Minghao’s desperate ones.

The youngest allowed the tears to fall, sniffled to keep his breathing as even as possible. He blinked his eyes shut and Junhui hated how pathetic it made him feel. He didn’t know what to do, how to help him.

Minghao opened his eyes slowly and nodded.

“They changed my clothes. I didn’t want them to touch me, but I couldn’t do a-anything.”

Junhui wanted to cut in and tell him how sorry he was, how it wasn’t his fault and how he’s be safe with them. He wanted to tell him how Jeonghan could help him, how Junhui could help him.

The younger didn’t give him the time though, coughing quickly before beginning once again.

“It- It was just touching. They were looking at me, talking to me, but I couldn’t understand.”

“Minghao-“

“There were others. Girls and boys. I- I saw them hurt a boy who was younger than me. They- they hurt him bad. He was screaming and crying and I-“

The younger’s breathing was increasing rapidly once again, and Junhui said his name louder.

“Minghao!”

The noise shocked the younger boy into looking up, words stuck in his throat. Minghao was choking and coughing, his breathing uneven and startling.

Junhui was suddenly kneeling, hands on the younger’s knees in seconds. It was unscripted and intrusive but the younger could only look at him wildly, too panicked to flinch at the contact.

Jisoo was mumbling something, and Jihoon was shifting from his spot in the bathtub, but the older Chinese boy could only ignore them in favor of comforting the younger. He allowed his hands to rub softly over Minghao’s knees, soothing the trembling there.

“They found you. The police, they rescued you. You’re safe here. Nobody is going to hurt you, Hao.”

The shortened name slipped out without much thought, and the younger seemed too erratic to notice it. Junhui was thankful as the boy locked eyes with him, his rapid breaths slowing ever so slightly.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. Tell him he doesn’t have to be sorry.” Jeonghan quickly dropped to his knees beside Junhui, pulling out of Seungcheol’s loose grip and reaching out to softly grasp Minghao’s ankle.

The Chinese boy was already translating, rubbing his hands in soothing circles, when the realization that Jeonghan shouldn’t be able to understand Mandarin erupted into his head. He glanced at the older quickly, barely able to pull his eyes away from Minghao’s tearful ones. Jeonghan was completely immersed in the younger Chinese boy, his dried tear tracks forgotten in favor of wiping away Minghao’s new ones.

Before Junhui could even formulate the right words, Seungcheol was blurting out the question that was on everyone’s minds. “Jeonghan, how did you know what-“

“Jun, seriously, snap out of it. You’re the only one who can talk to him.

Despite the lingering looks of concern and confusion emanating from the other three boys, Junhui swallowed and turned his attention back toward Minghao. The boy was still having trouble breathing, and Jeonghan’s sudden close proximity didn’t seem to be helping with that fact, but the tears were slowing to a halt.

“It’s going to be okay, Hao. You don’t need to be sorry, not for this, not ever. Just focus on breathing.”

The boy’s wide-eyed stare caught onto Junhui’s soft one, locking on and refusing to let go. After a few seconds of rapid inhales and exhales, Minghao nodded shakily and forced a gulp of air down his throat, holding it in for a few seconds before slowly pushing it out.

Junhui tried to smile, tight-lipped and exhausted as he watched the boy struggle. The sight was already so familiar, despite the boy only having been a part of their lives for about half an hour. The older Chinese boy took a second to wonder how the hell everything was supposed to work now that Minghao was there.

Donghyun wouldn’t care about the boy’s past, much like how he didn’t care for Jeonghan’s, or Mingyu’s, or Hansol’s. He wouldn’t care about the pain and the suffering, only how loud the crying was. He would ignore the fear and self-hatred, too concerned over breaking in the new kid.

Watching Minghao’s fragile shell come crumpling down in the form of trembling eyes and heart wrenching sobs, Junhui was absolutely certain he wouldn’t be able to handle it if the man ever got his hands on him.

And, on top of everything, Junhui had no idea how the boy would fair with Mingyu, or even Soonyoung for that matter. The boys were violent, loud, and especially confrontational. Junhui and Seungcheol were strong, and fiercely protective, but there were always slip ups that they couldn’t prevent. Like Jeonghan’s bruised cheek. Or like Chan’s split lip. Or like Hansol’s blackened eye.

Whether the older Chinese boy liked it or not, Minghao was going to be one of those slip ups some day, and Junhui was terrified for what that meant.

“Good job, Minghao. You’re doing great.” The name sounded wrong on Jeonghan’s tongue, mixed in with smooth Korean, but Junhui decided against correcting him. Minghao was glancing at the long-haired boy, eyes still wide, but more curious than afraid. The notion made Junhui smile a little more, his brow unfurling as he did so.

“He said you’re doing great, Hao. He just has awful pronunciation.”

The boy glanced back at him, shifting his eyes back toward his hands after a few seconds. His breathing was still a little quick for everyone’s liking, but the worst was definitely over.

A sharp knock to the bathroom door startled everyone out of their own heads and caused the youngest to jump a foot off of the toilet seat in surprise. Seungcheol, who had been leaning against the door, turned around and slowly cracked it open, peering outside but not allowing whoever it was to look in.

“Cheol, Mingyu’s picking on the kids. He’s saying- well, he’s saying some pretty awful stuff to Hansol and-“

Wonwoo’s voice could be heard on the other side of the door, although it was barely a whisper. Before Seungcheol could let him finish, however, Jeonghan was standing and worming his way out of the cramped bathroom and into the hallway. The oldest sighed and glanced back into the room, nodding toward Junhui before stepping out after the other boy. The Chinese only stared after him as he left.

“We should probably get in there. Who knows what Mingyu’s going to do if Jeonghan gets involved. Jun, you and Cheol are the strongest.” The words held a lot of meaning for being just that: words. Junhui knew what Jihoon meant: If he hurts Jeonghan, you and Seungcheol have to stop him. If he threatens Hansol, you and Seungcheol have to stop him. They’re defenseless. They need you.

But Minghao needed him, too. Jihoon couldn’t understand him, couldn’t help him. Junhui didn’t know what to do.

“We should all go. We can’t hide in here forever. And Jihoon’s right. They need you.”

Jun looked up, eyes landing on a stoic Jisoo. His voice and eyes were both void of emotion as he pushed himself off of the wall, drying the tear tracks sitting on his cheeks.

Junhui glanced between him and Jihoon, who was also standing. The boy finally nodded, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he closed his eyes and turned back to Minghao.

Minghao was completely confused. His eyes were flickering between the three boys, as well as the door every so often. The sight made Junhui guilty. He didn’t want this small, terrified boy to have to deal with the horrors he’d been through. He wanted the boy home, happy, smiling. And maybe the older was out of line for feeling so upset. Maybe he was projecting, maybe he was just empathetic, but the older couldn’t help it. There was only a two-year age difference between the two, and yet, Junhui felt like he was looking at a child as he spoke. The home really had made them grow up way too quickly.

“We’re going to go back into the room, now, okay? You’re going to sit with Jisoo, and nothing is going to happen to you, no matter what. One of the other boys is, well, not being the nicest right now, so you just have to ignore him, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.” Junhui made sure to gesture to Jisoo as he said his name, Minghao watching the action raptly.

After a few seconds of stunned silence from the youngest, Junhui was surprised to see nothing but a curt nod. Minghao was brave, that much was obvious when the boy had steeled himself and pushed through his story, willingly telling them about his worst nightmare come to life. But this, Junhui wasn’t expecting this.

“Okay. Let’s go, then. Just stay behind me and Jisoo.”

**Author's Note:**

> pls leave kudos and comment <333


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